Mar 3, 2025
The Holy Father has proclaimed 2025 as a Jubilee year, and
pilgrims are already flocking to Rome to cross the thresholds of
the major basilicas, and to visit the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Original host of the Way of the Fathers podcast, Mike Aquilina, and
current host of the podcast, James L. Papandrea, talk about jubilee
and pilgrimage, and introduce listeners to the first (of hopefully
many) Way of the Fathers pilgrimage. If you’re interested in going
on pilgrimage to Sicily, December 1-11, 2025, with Mike, and Jim,
and Fr. Kevin Barrett, you can find more information at this
link:
Why Sicily?
“Sicily,” said Goethe, “is the key to everything.” It was the
site where Plato imagined his perfect republic. Sicily gave Rome
its first taste of Empire. Homer set much of his Odyssey in Sicily:
Scylla and Charybdis, the forge of Hephaestus … It’s the land of
the Cyclops, the place where Icarus hit the ground when his wings
began to melt. St. Paul spent three days there. For St. Augustine
it was a land of wonders — a mountain that burned always and was
not consumed. For St. Basil it was a synonym for luxury. Sicily was
the definition of Hellenic. It was profoundly Latin. It was the
land that gave the Church its Greek popes. It was the land that
gave the Church its virgin-martyrs, Agatha and Lucy. For those who
suffer ailments of the eye or breast, it is a pilgrim destination.
It’s Byzantine. It’s Roman. It’s Phoenician and African. It’s
stubbornly Christian through years of Muslim rule. It’s Norman.
It’s Spanish. It’s stunningly beautiful. The food is amazing. It’s
where the Godfather movies were filmed. In December it will be warm
there and offer unusual wares and delights for Christmas shoppers.
Consider joining Catholic author Mike Aquilina, historian James L.
Papandrea, and Fr. Kevin Barrett on a unique pilgrimage,
co-sponsored by the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, 206
Tours, and the Apostolate for Family Consecration. (This
pilgrimage is not run by CatholicCulture.org.)
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